How to build a good working relationship with your recruiter…
Advice for candidates:
Ensure your CV is current when contacting agencies directly, or applying to a role you see advertised, ensure your CV is up to date with the correct role titles and start and end dates listed. There is nothing worse than an out-of-date CV missing employment dates.
Know your career goals- what type of role are you looking for? What is your expertise? What type of company culture would be a good fit for you? The clearer you are in your own mind with your career goals, the easier it will be for the recruiter to assist you with finding your new role. Before a recruiter can help you find your new role, you need to ensure you are clear with what you want. Be clear with regards to your non-negotiables.
Trust your recruiter- At LAW Absolute we have the knowledge and expertise to help you with your job search. You must trust that your recruiter knows their market space and are best equipped to assist you.
Be respectful- recruiters are people and like anyone, we want to work with people that show us respect and are easy to interact with day to day. The way you communicate with us is an indicator of how you will represent yourself to the clients we work with, it is essential you build a positive professional impression, so that we feel confident to put you forward to our clients.
Commit– if we schedule a call/ meeting or interview with our clients and you agree to attend, follow through with that commitment. If you don’t, it reflects poorly on you but also us as recruiters. If you cannot attend, please ensure you let your recruiter know ASAP so that they can manage the process and ensure things are left as positively as possible. A client in one organisation could one day be a client somewhere else, so you want to ensure you never leave a negative impression.
Keep a record of where you have applied– keep a record of your job applications. Duplicate applications reflect negatively on both you and your recruiter. It is important you know where you have applied and the agencies you are working with. Honest communication is key to building a fruitful relationship with a recruiter.
Stay in touch– once you land your new position, stay in touch with your recruiter. They will be in the market space for years to come, so ensure you stay in touch, as you may need them when you decide to move on again. Recruiters like to help candidates secure multiple roles and allows us to recommend you to clients.
Client:
Fostering a good relationship with a recruiter should not be one-sided. As recruiters we need clients to work with us on timelines, the interview process and keeping communication open. Below are a few points on how to get the bets out of your recruiter:
Set timelines and ensure they are met:
With the current market as it is, the need for maintaining momentum is paramount. Both client and recruiter agree and work to timelines set for interviews, feedback and offers, the process runs much more smoothly and ensures that your recruiter can remain in control of the process as much as possible. This will also better allow recruiters to manage candidates and keep candidates interested- ensuring that you have access to the best possible talent.
We are all ears
One of the key components of being a good recruiter is to listen, read between the lines and infer. From the client side it is also key to take the advice of your recruiter. Of course a relationship of trust must be established in order for advice to be considered, however, your recruiter deals with their market on a daily basis and is better placed to advise on salaries, when to recruit and levels to hire. Listening to your recruiter and taking their advice can be a sure way to make the most of the current market and recruiter the best talent. There is no point shoe-horning the wrong person into a role!
Information overload
As recruiters we understand that you might not have all the information on a requirement at initial briefing- in fact it is quite common! It is therefore key that you provide any information you have and allow a quick call for your recruiter to cover the type of business, culture etc. Following this it is also just bets to be honest with your recruiter: do you have sign off on the role, when do you actually need someone in place, do you really need someone or just want to assess the market? Ensuring honesty from the client side will allow your recruiter to provide the best service possible to you and ensures that they are honest with you.
Ghosting?!
Recruiters understand that things get busy and probably if we are honest have also been MIA on occasions. However, to ensure a better working relationship it is always best to keep your recruiter updated. If the requirement is no more or your have found someone else, a quick line to let your recruiter know will ensure that you are not chased and allows the recruiter to manage candidate expectations. Nobody likes to follow- up five times!
We hope the above helps! Let us know if you think we have missed anything!
